Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

These motions are a further signal of the demise of Irish neutrality. No one has done more to diminish the neutrality of this State than the current partnership of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. They helped the United States to attack and invade Iraq in an illegal action commencing in 2003 by using Shannon Airport as a military staging post. They colluded in the United State's illegal programme of extraordinary rendition, which involves the kidnap and torture of individuals, by aiding and abetting the escape of CIA agents, some of whom are the subject of arrest warrants in other jurisdictions, again through Shannon Airport. The Government parties also rushed through the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 in one night last July with the support of both Fine Gael and the Labour Party.

Ceanglaíonn an tAcht sin Éire páirt a ghlacadh i ngrúpaí cogaidh de chuid an AE. Lagaíonn sé an chosaint a chuireann an triple lock ar fáil trí ligint do na Fórsaí Cosanta páirt a ghlacadh i réimse gníomhaíochtaí míleata thar lear le cead ón Rialtas amháin. Ar an ócáid sin, ní dhearna ach Sinn Féin, An Comhaontas Glas agus roinnt de na Teachtaí Neamhspleácha seasamh ar son neodracht na hÉireann. Ó bhallraíocht i PFP, NATO, agus an fórsa frithghnímh mhear go dtí na grúpaí cogaidh atá á bplé againn, thug mise faoi deara ag gach uile chéim go raibh muid ag bogadh i dtreo airm Eorpaigh ar gach bealach. In ainneoin nach n-aontaíonn an tAire liom sa chás seo, aontaíonn ceannairí stát eile san AE liom.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads up the current Presidency, acknowledges that these developments are part and parcel of an attempt to introduce an EU army. On the eve of the EU's 50th anniversary she stated: "In the EU itself we have come closer to a European army." While our Government denies EU militarisation has ever been an objective, Belgium's Prime Minister must be delighted with the "progress" made in terms of militarisation. Speaking in London a year ago he said: "We need a European defence, a European army, not just on paper but a force genuinely capable of operating in the field, including beyond the European borders".

The second memo of understanding relates to the location of the battle group, which will be in the British Ministry of Defence's permanent joint headquarters in Northwood, which is also headquarters for NATO regional command. The location of the battle group at Northwood effectively means that any participating Irish troops will be under the operational command of British officers and NATO officers. It also means that there will be no distinction between the battle groups and NATO forces if they are engaged in a conflict. Northwood headquarters makes no secret of the fact that it is "... helping to expand and intensify ... military cooperation throughout Europe".

There is no way in those circumstances that an Irish Government can claim that the State is neutral. Could the Minister for Defence or the Minister for Foreign Affairs credibly maintain at this stage, as the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform attempted to do last week, that this State is neutral? Could either plausibly maintain that when the battle groups are established and if the current war in Iraq is still ongoing or those forces are involved in another adventure, Irish troops would not inevitably be drawn in? If the EU decides to commit to participation in such a conflict, this Parliament would have little or no influence on such a decision. It would be difficult for the Minister to deny that. If the Irish Army participates in the battle groups it will be clearly aligned with Britain, NATO and the United States, and fully committed to EU involvement in the sort of adventure that we are witnessing in Iraq currently.

We do not have sufficient time to discuss this major step in the demise of Irish neutrality. It is a scandal that we have come this far and this represents a breach of promises made by Fianna Fáil at various elections that the party would stand by neutrality. However, our neutrality has been diminished repeatedly. Rather than building up the capacity of the UN and encouraging other countries to do likewise, the Government has eroded our neutrality and engaged in a project of militarising the European Union and participating in military adventures overseas with countries that were imperialist powers in the past, which seem to be dreaming of setting up other empires and spheres of influence that they can dictate into the future.

See this speech in context